This invention relates to detonators for high-density chemical explosives, such as that utilized in initiating nuclear explosives, and more particulary to such a detonator of the flying-plate type utilizing benzotrifuroxan (BTF), also known as hexanitrosobenzene (HNB).
High density chemical explosives are relatively difficult to detonate and various types of detonators have been developed in the prior art to solve this problem. Virtually all of the prior known electrically operated detonators utilize either hot wire initiation of high density primary explosives, or exploding bridgewire (EBW) initiation of low-density secondary explosives which subsequently ignites the high density main charge. Of these two types the exploding bridgewire is the more widely used in nuclear explosives.
In an exploding bridgewire detonator, a thin wire is explosively vaporized by a large current pulse which ignites the low-density chemical explosive. Of the prior art detonators the exploding bridgewire detonator is the most safe, reliable, and consistent. However, because the detonator requires a low density intermediary explosive, they are to as vulnerable such factors heating aging vibration, and contamination, as well as the fabrication process which requires extreme precision.
The use of exploding foils for the production of shock waves and for the acceleration of thin plates or "slappers" is known in the prior art as evidenced by pages 245-298 of "Exploding Wires", vol. 2, 1962, edited by W. G. Chace and H. K. Moore, published by Plenum Press. Also, the composition BTF as a main explosive charge is old, per se, as evidenced by an article published in "Acta Cryst", Mar. 1966, page 336. However, prior to the present invention the utilization of this composition was never considered for initiation purposes.